This post may feature affiliate links. Please read our disclosure policy.
This couscous salad is a quick, easy, and healthy recipe that’s bursting with vibrant flavors and colors! Fluffy couscous is combined with crispy veggies, fresh herbs, buttery chickpeas, and a citrusy vinaigrette. Enjoy it as a side dish, a light lunch, or add protein to make it a filling dinner option.
Table of Contents
❤️ Why you’ll love this recipe
- Textured: With the combination of couscous, vegetables, raisins, and chickpeas, there are a wide variety of textures and tastes in each bite.
- Easy: You won’t believe how easy this salad is to make! Don’t worry if you’re new to cooking — our step-by-step instructions will make you look like a pro.
- Healthy: Couscous salad is an incredibly healthy dish with the perfect balance of carbs, protein, heart-healthy fats, and fiber.
- Customizable: Feel free to add or remove ingredients to make this recipe your own. There’s an almost unlimited amount of options to choose from!
If you love Mediterranean couscous salad, you should really check out our vegan chickpea salad, sweet potato salad, and ensalada de nopales.
🥗 What is couscous salad?
Couscous is a traditional North African food made from steamed granules of semolina flour. Thanks to its versatility, it’s become extremely popular all over the world.
We love to add chickpeas, not just because they’re high in protein and fiber, but because they’re incredibly buttery and creamy. Fresh ingredients, like cherry tomatoes, red bell pepper, and cucumber offer a light and refreshing crunch.
Fresh parsley and mint bring a touch of freshness while the raisins burst with sweetness. Everything is tied together with a bright and vibrant vinaigrette made from lemon, vinegar, garlic, and olive oil.
Couscous salad is perfect for meal prepping since it can be stored for quite a few days. If you’re looking to make it even more filling, you can always add tofu, tempeh, or seitan!
🌱 Is couscous salad vegan?
Couscous salad is often a vegan or at least vegetarian-friendly option. In traditional recipes, you may find the couscous is cooked in chicken broth, but vegetable broth is just as delicious!
Feta cheese, meat, and other additives are sometimes incorporated as well. These can easily swap these out for vegan feta, tofu, chickpeas, or other substitutes though. It’s actually quite easy to make a flavorful Mediterranean couscous salad without meat or dairy!
🛒 Ingredients & substitutions
- Couscous: Since it’s made from semolina, couscous is not considered a grain. Once steamed, it’s tender, fluffy, and light, making it perfect for a salad base. If you don’t have couscous, try orzo, brown rice, or quinoa.
- Vegetable broth: To cook the couscous in, adding more savory flavor. If you are low on vegetable broth, just replace it with water.
- Chickpeas: Both canned and dried chickpeas are great options, although we prefer the latter. When cooked from dry, chickpeas are incredibly buttery, creamy, and smooth. You can also use other white bean varieties like Lima and Navy beans.
- Vegetables: For Mediterranean-style flavors, add cherry tomatoes (or grape tomatoes), Kalamata olives (or your favorite type), bell peppers (any color), cucumbers, and red onions (or shallots).
- Raisins: Add a plump, chewy texture and bursts of sweet flavors. Use black raisins, sultanas, or even dried cranberries.
- Fresh herbs: We use a combination of fresh parsley and mint. If you’d like to play around with different flavors, try basil, cilantro, or oregano.
- Acids: For a tart, tangy, and slightly sweet component, add both red wine vinegar and fresh lemon juice. If you don’t have red wine vinegar, replace it with white wine vinegar instead.
- Olive oil: Make sure you choose good-quality extra-virgin olive oil as it really makes a difference in overall flavor. Avocado oil will also work in a pinch.
- Seasonings: We went with a simple garlic powder, salt, and pepper spice combination. Feel free to add different dried spices and herbs like basil, oregano, marjoram, thyme, onion powder, etc.
For a complete ingredient list and step-by-step guide, scroll down to our recipe card.
📝 How to make couscous salad
Step 1: Cook the couscous
Bring the vegetable broth to a boil in a medium saucepan. Once it’s boiling, mix the couscous in. Immediately cover it with a lid and remove it from the heat. Let it sit with the cover on for about 5 minutes, then remove the lid and fluff it with a fork.
Step 2: Prep the salad
If you’re using canned chickpeas, remember to drain and rinse them thoroughly (until the suds disappear). If you’re making them from dried, we recommend pressure cooking them the night before.
Add the chickpeas, vegetables, raisins, and herbs to a large mixing bowl along and mix everything together until it is evenly combined.
Step 3: Mix the dressing
Add the lemon juice, olive oil, garlic, red wine vinegar, salt, and pepper to a mason jar. Close the lid and shake the dressing until the olive oil is emulsified. If you have one, you can use a small blender too!
If you prefer a tangier flavor, try adding more red wine vinegar or lemon juice. For more of a savory kick, add extra cracked black pepper or garlic.
Step 4: Assemble the salad
Pour the dressing over the couscous salad and toss to combine. It’s best to serve the salad fairly soon after dressing it, so hold off on adding the dressing until you are ready. Happy eating!
If you have questions about this Mediterranean couscous salad recipe, check out our FAQs or leave a comment down below!
🥗 What to serve with couscous salad
There are so many ways to customize this Mediterranean couscous salad, but these are some of our favorite ideas:
- Cheese: Add some crumbled vegan feta cheese or queso fresco into the mix.
- Protein: Make this salad heartier with grilled tofu, sliced vegan chicken, or tempeh.
- Nuts & seeds: For an extra crunch, sprinkle on a few sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, pecans, or sliced almonds.
- Sauces: Serve it with a dollop of vegan tzatziki, hummus, or yogurt on top.
- Bread: Pair your salad with a slice of vegan garlic bread, dairy-free bread, or sourdough.
🌡️ Storage & reheating
For any leftover couscous salad, follow these simple storage tips:
- Fridge: Store couscous salad in the fridge for up to 4-5 days. It’s best to let it cool to room temperature, then keep it in an airtight container.
- Freezer: Since the textures and flavors will change too much once thawed, we don’t recommend freezing this recipe.
- Reheating: You can enjoy couscous salad cold or at room temperature, but you can also serve it warm if you prefer. Just heat it in a skillet over medium for 3 minutes, or until warmed through.
- Prep ahead: Prepare the couscous salad ahead of time by cooking the couscous, and preparing the vegetables and herbs. Keep the salad and dressing separate in the refrigerator until you are ready to serve.
♻️ Variations
- Tex-Mex: Instead of cucumber and raisins, add cubed avocado, black beans, corn kernels, pickled jalapeños, and a spicy dressing.
- Caprese: Use vegan mozzarella, fresh or sun-dried tomatoes, and fresh basil. Top it with a garlic and herb vinaigrette.
- Indian: Add diced sweet potato, toasted coconut, and a curry-infused dressing.
- Gluten-free: If you are sensitive to gluten, replace the couscous with quinoa, rice, buckwheat, or amaranth.
🧑🍳 Top tips
- Fluff the couscous: To prevent a clumpy texture, fluff the couscous with a fork immediately after steaming it.
- Cut evenly: Cut the vegetables to similar sizes for an even distribution of flavors all throughout the salad.
- Fresh herbs: Use fresh herbs whenever possible for the best flavors and aromas.
- Dress while warm: Add dressing to the salad while the couscous is warm so that it absorbs the flavors better.
- Adjust to taste: Taste and adjust the amount of red wine vinegar, lemon juice, olive oil, and garlic to your personal taste.
💬 FAQ
No, couscous is not gluten-free. Couscous is made from semolina, which is a granule of durum wheat. However, there are many brands that sell gluten-free couscous.
Yes, couscous salad is a very healthy dish that consists of carbs, protein, and fiber. The addition of vegetables make for a very nutrient dense meal.
Yes, you can use whole wheat, spelt, or Israeli couscous in this recipe. Just note that each type will have a slightly different flavor and texture.
🍴 More side dish recipes
If you enjoyed this Mediterranean couscous salad, be sure to check out some more side dishes like these:
- Mexican Potato Salad: Simple potato salad with a little heat.
- Macaroni Salad: An easy vegan macaroni salad.
- Kale Caesar Salad: Light salad that’s packed with nutrients.
- Calabacitas: Mexican-style side dish featuring zucchini, corn, and vegan cheese.
Easy Couscous Salad
Equipment
- Medium pot
- Large mixing bowl
- Pressure cooker
- Mason jar
Ingredients
Grains
- 1 cup uncooked couscous
- 1 cup vegetable broth
Add-ins
- 1 cup cooked chickpeas
- ¾ cup cherry tomatoes, halved
- ½ cup pitted Kalamata olives, roughly chopped
- ½ large red bell pepper, diced
- ¾ cup cucumber, roughly diced
- ¼ medium red onion, diced
- ⅓ cup raisins
- ⅔ cup fresh parsley, roughly chopped
- 2 tablespoons fresh mint, roughly chopped
Dressing
- 3 tablespoons lemon juice
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 1-2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
- Sea salt & pepper to taste
Instructions
Couscous
- Bring the vegetable broth to a boil in a medium saucepan. Once it’s boiling, mix the couscous in. Immediately cover it with a lid and remove it from the heat. Let it sit with the cover on for 5 minutes.
Add-ins
- In the meantime, drain and rinse the chickpeas thoroughly. Add them to a large mixing bowl along with the tomatoes, olives, peppers, cucumbers, onions, raisins, and herbs.
Dressing
- Add the lemon juice, olive oil, garlic, red wine vinegar, salt, and pepper to a mason jar. Close the lid and shake the dressing until the olive oil is emulsified.
- Taste and adjust seasonings as needed. If you like more tang, add red wine vinegar or lemon. For more kick, add black pepper or garlic.
- Pour the dressing over the couscous salad and toss to combine. Serve this salad immediately on its own or as a side dish. Happy eating!
Notes
- Fluff the couscous: To prevent a clumpy texture, fluff the couscous with a fork immediately after steaming it.
- Cut evenly: Cut the vegetables to similar sizes for an even distribution of flavors all throughout the salad.
- Fresh herbs: Use fresh herbs whenever possible for the best flavors and aromas.
- Dress while warm: Add dressing to the salad while the couscous is warm so that it absorbs the flavors better.
- Adjust to taste: Taste and adjust the amount of red wine vinegar, lemon juice, olive oil, and garlic to your personal taste.
- Nutritional information is a rough estimate and should not be taken as health advice.
Nutrition
Note: We’ve updated this post to include new information and helpful tips about the recipe.
You should remove the “gf” from your title, since couscous is NOT gluten-free.
Oh wow, that was an accident. We definitely know couscous is NOT gluten-free! It is updated now though, so thank you for the comment. Have a great day!